Use when navigating code, understanding unfamiliar functions, finding definitions or references, tracing call hierarchies, preparing for refactoring, or analyzing code impact. Enforces LSP-first semantic code intelligence with mandatory pre-edit checks, impact analysis before refactoring, and post-edit diagnostics. Provides IDE-like precision for code operations in large codebases. Covers navigation (goToDefinition, findReferences), understanding (hover, documentSymbol), and call analysis (incomingCalls, outgoingCalls).
Enforces LSP-first code intelligence with mandatory pre-edit checks and post-edit diagnostics. Triggers on navigation requests like "find definition" or "find references," and before refactoring to provide IDE-like precision for code operations in large codebases.
/plugin marketplace add zircote/lsp-tools/plugin install lsp-tools@zircote-lspThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
references/SETUP-GUIDE-ALL-LANGUAGES.mdreferences/cpp-hooks.jsonreferences/cpp-lsp-section.mdreferences/csharp-hooks.jsonreferences/csharp-lsp-section.mdreferences/go-hooks.jsonreferences/go-lsp-section.mdreferences/html-css-hooks.jsonreferences/html-css-lsp-section.mdreferences/java-hooks.jsonreferences/java-lsp-section.mdreferences/kotlin-hooks.jsonreferences/kotlin-lsp-section.mdreferences/latex-hooks.jsonreferences/latex-lsp-section.mdreferences/lsp-decision-matrix.mdreferences/lsp-enforcement-protocol.mdreferences/lsp-operations-guide.mdreferences/lsp-server-registry.mdreferences/lsp-setup-verification.md1. NO MODIFYING UNFAMILIAR CODE WITHOUT goToDefinition FIRST
2. NO REFACTORING WITHOUT findReferences IMPACT ANALYSIS FIRST
3. NO CLAIMING CODE WORKS WITHOUT LSP DIAGNOSTICS VERIFICATION
Violating these laws wastes tokens, introduces bugs, and produces incomplete changes.
Activate when user says:
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
│
├─ Symbol definition or implementation
│ └─ USE LSP: goToDefinition, goToImplementation
│
├─ All usages of a symbol
│ └─ USE LSP: findReferences
│
├─ Type info, docs, or signatures
│ └─ USE LSP: hover
│
├─ File structure or symbol list
│ └─ USE LSP: documentSymbol
│
├─ Call graph or dependencies
│ └─ USE LSP: incomingCalls, outgoingCalls
│
├─ Symbol search across workspace
│ └─ USE LSP: workspaceSymbol
│
├─ Literal text search (TODOs, strings, config)
│ └─ USE: Grep (LSP doesn't do text matching)
│
└─ File discovery by pattern
└─ USE: Glob
| Operation | Purpose | Use Before |
|---|---|---|
goToDefinition | Jump to where symbol is defined | Modifying unfamiliar code |
findReferences | Find all usages of a symbol | Refactoring, renaming |
goToImplementation | Find interface implementations | Working with polymorphism |
hover | Get type info, docs, signatures | Understanding APIs |
documentSymbol | List all symbols in a file | Understanding large files |
workspaceSymbol | Search symbols across codebase | Finding related code |
prepareCallHierarchy | Get call hierarchy info | Analyzing call graphs |
incomingCalls | Find callers of a function | Impact analysis |
outgoingCalls | Find functions called by target | Dependency tracing |
Required parameters for all operations:
filePath - Absolute path to fileline - Line number (1-based)character - Column position (1-based)Full operation guide: references/lsp-operations-guide.md
Before modifying ANY unfamiliar code:
1. NAVIGATE: LSP goToDefinition → understand implementation
2. ANALYZE: LSP findReferences → assess change impact
3. INSPECT: LSP hover → verify type signatures
4. THEN: Make changes
Pre-Edit Checklist:
Skip any step = incomplete understanding = bugs
After code changes:
1. CHECK: LSP diagnostics for errors/warnings
2. VERIFY: No new type errors introduced
3. CONFIRM: Imports resolve correctly
4. VALIDATE: Interface contracts still satisfied
Do NOT claim code works without LSP diagnostics verification.
Before LSP operations, verify setup:
# Environment variable must be set
echo $ENABLE_LSP_TOOL # Should output "1"
# If not set, add to shell profile:
export ENABLE_LSP_TOOL=1
If LSP unavailable:
ENABLE_LSP_TOOL=1 in your shell profile"Full setup guide: references/lsp-setup-verification.md
If LSP servers are not installed, use /lsp-tools:lsp-setup for guided installation.
Quick verification:
# Run verification script
bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DIR}/scripts/bash/verify-lsp-servers.sh"
Per-language installation scripts are available:
| Language | Server | Install Script |
|---|---|---|
| TypeScript/JS | vtsls | scripts/bash/install-typescript-lsp.sh |
| Python | pyright | scripts/bash/install-python-lsp.sh |
| Rust | rust-analyzer | scripts/bash/install-rust-lsp.sh |
| Go | gopls | scripts/bash/install-go-lsp.sh |
| Java | jdtls | scripts/bash/install-java-lsp.sh |
| Kotlin | kotlin-language-server | scripts/bash/install-kotlin-lsp.sh |
| C/C++ | clangd | scripts/bash/install-cpp-lsp.sh |
| C# | OmniSharp | scripts/bash/install-csharp-lsp.sh |
| PHP | phpactor | scripts/bash/install-php-lsp.sh |
| Ruby | ruby-lsp | scripts/bash/install-ruby-lsp.sh |
| HTML/CSS | vscode-langservers | scripts/bash/install-html-css-lsp.sh |
| LaTeX | texlab | scripts/bash/install-latex-lsp.sh |
Windows users: Use corresponding PowerShell scripts in scripts/powershell/.
Server registry with full details: references/lsp-server-registry.md
| Metric | LSP | Grep |
|---|---|---|
| Speed (large codebase) | ~50ms | 45+ seconds |
| Accuracy | Exact semantic matches | Text patterns (false positives) |
| Token usage | ~500 tokens (worth it) | Burns tokens on irrelevant matches |
| Type resolution | Follows aliases, re-exports | Text only |
| Scope awareness | Understands variable scope | Matches all text |
Example:
Grep "getUserById" → 500+ matches (comments, strings, similar names)
LSP findReferences → 23 matches (exact function usages only)
If you catch yourself:
ALL of these mean: STOP. Use LSP first.
LSP is more expensive per-call but cheaper overall:
| Scenario | Grep Cost | LSP Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Find method usages in 100-file project | 2000+ tokens (scanning output) | 500 tokens (exact matches) |
| Navigate to definition | Multiple grep attempts | Single LSP call |
| Understand type signatures | Read multiple files | Single hover call |
Rule: When codebase > 20 files, LSP saves tokens vs grep.
Use language-specific LSP sections for tooling and quality gates:
| Language | Reference File |
|---|---|
| TypeScript/JavaScript | references/typescript-lsp-section.md |
| Python | references/python-lsp-section.md |
| Go | references/go-lsp-section.md |
| Rust | references/rust-lsp-section.md |
| Java | references/java-lsp-section.md |
| Kotlin | references/kotlin-lsp-section.md |
| C/C++ | references/cpp-lsp-section.md |
| C# | references/csharp-lsp-section.md |
| PHP | references/php-lsp-section.md |
| Ruby | references/ruby-lsp-section.md |
| HTML/CSS | references/html-css-lsp-section.md |
| LaTeX | references/latex-lsp-section.md |
Each file includes:
Reference: references/lsp-enforcement-protocol.md
Before modifying code:
LSP goToDefinition → Understand implementation
LSP findReferences → Know what breaks
LSP hover → Verify types
After modifying code:
LSP diagnostics → Check for errors
Build/typecheck → Verify compilation
Tests → Confirm behavior
Decision matrix: references/lsp-decision-matrix.md